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ICC chief prosecutor to seek arrest warrants for Darfur rebel leaders

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Friday at a meeting of states party to the ICC treaty that he would seek arrest warrants for the leaders of rebel groups in Sudan's Darfur region. The arrest warrants sought by Moreno-Ocampo relate to a September 2007 attack by anti-government rebels in Darfur against African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops. The warrants would be the prosecutor's third line of inquiry into war crimes in Darfur, following the issuance of arrest warrants last year for former Sudanese Minister of the Interior Ahmed Muhammad Harun and former militia leader Ali Kushayb, and prosecutor's application last July for the issuance of an arrest warrant for Sudan President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes committed in Darfur. AFP has more. Last July, Moreno-Ocampo announced that he had widened his investigation into Darfur war crimes to include activities by rebel groups. His application for an arrest warrant for al-Bashir has caused considerable tension between the ICC and the Arab world. Last week, Egypt sought to delay formal ICC charges against al-Bashir, arguing that interfering in the Darfur peace process would be detrimental to potential peace in the region. Last Wednesday, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Edmond Mulet said issuing an arrest warrant for al-Bashir could “derail” the peace process. Last month, ICC judges gave Moreno-Ocampo one month to submit "additional supporting materials in relation to some confidential aspects" of his application.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on November 15, 2008 (boomark / email).